The Lord of Time
by themadthinker
Summary: As the Doctor tries to battle his ultimate foe, both the Time Lord and Clara find out more about the evil that lies within him. Little/no romance - Rated T for unsettling themes.
1. The Reckoning

**AN: This is a work in progress. How long I carry on depends largely on the feedback that I get, so if you like the story then make sure you leave a review. Enjoy! Chapter 2 coming soon... expect a LOT more story progression.**

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The TARDIS shook and groaned, before going almost completely silent.

"We've landed!" said the Doctor, grabbing the jacket that was strewn across part of the TARDIS console. Clara began to walk over to the scanner, before she remembered that it had stopped working last week after the accident in Space France.

"Doctor, where are we?"

The Doctor smiled and ran towards her.

"We, Clara, are on Teraphor."

"Right...Teraphor. Remind me what that is again?"

"The Planet Teraphor, home to the biggest supermarket in the entire universe. They have one of everything in there."

Clara stared at the Doctor. Even after travelling with him for nearly two months, there had never been a day where she wasn't left astounded.

"One of everything? You mean, literally everything?"

"Well, almost everything. Anything that has a UIV of less than 5000."

"UIV? What's that?"

"It stands for Universe Index Value. Everything in the universe has a value. Even you and me. Some things are worth more than others - we give everything a UIV. That way, everybody knows what is worth what."

"So...what UIV would I get?"

"Let's see...You're human, so at least 10 points. You can reproduce, that's an extra 5...above average intellect, so an extra 10 points or so. Unfortunately we have to factor in your height disadvantage-"

"Oi!"

"It's a contributing factor. Anyway, I'd say you have a UIV of around...30."

"30? That doesn't seem very high."

"It's not. No offence, but you are, well, you know... human."

Clara arched her eyebrows. "You sure know how to make a girl feel special, don't you?" She spun around on the spot, and began to walk away from the Doctor. It was a few seconds before she turned back to him. "So, if humans are SO unimportant that they only get a UIV of 30, what do Time-Lords get?" The Doctor stared into her eyes. He saw curiosity with just a tiny hint of childish anger.

"Time Lords? Well, I suppose I've never really thought about it."

"Come on, Doctor. You must know. I bet you've had yourself valued, haven't you?" Clara had never seen the Doctor embarrassed, but cheeks had gone a light shade of red.

"Oh, well, maybe once or twice."

"And? What was your value?"

The Doctor stared at his feet. "9001," he mumbled.

"What? I missed that."

"9001."

Clara's mouth formed an almost comical 'O' shape. "9001?! Why not 9000? Why 9001?"

"The 1 is for the bowtie. Bowties are cool."

"Wait a second. That means...that means you're over 300 times more valuable than me." Her face fell as she sat down on the battered green couch that stood beside the TARDIS console. "So I'm basically...worthless. Not just me - all of humanity. We're all just raindrops on a window to you. We must be so insignificant." The Doctor smiled slyfully at Clara, until he realised that she wasn't joking. He sat down beside her and put his arm round her.

"Of course you're significant. You all are. The entire human race is so...alive. You have ambition, integrity, courage and so many more qualities that make you all so amazing. You should have seen me a few years ago. I was a monster, cold and vengeful. Of course, I was still trying to do good, but not like I do now. I met a human, and she showed me compassion. I've learned some of the greatest lessons of my life from the human race - for that, I'm forever grateful. And this is how I repay you all! Every couple of years I kidnap one of you and show you the stars! So, Planet of the Supermarkets, are you coming or not?" Clara turned to face the Doctor. She stared blankly at his face for a second before breaking into a smile.

"How can I say no?" She stood up and twirled on the spot. "How do I look?"

The Doctor beamed at Clara. "Absolutely magnificent." He walked past Clara and stopped at the TARDIS door. He gripped the handle of the wooden door.

"Clara Oswald, without further ado, I give you the Planet of the Superma-"

The Doctor stopped mid sentence. He quickly bent down and clutched his ankles. "I knew there was something wrong!" he happily exclaimed as he straightened back up.

"What is it?"

"My socks. Whenever I visit somewhere new, I wear my special socks. These," he said, as he pointed to his feet, "-are not my special socks. These are boring socks. And boring socks are, well, boring." He ran past Clara and headed into one of the tunnels that led deeper into the TARDIS. "I won't be a minute!" she heard him shout. "Just getting my special socks! Occupy yourself for a minute or so, write a poem or something." His voice trailed off until it was a faint echo that bounced around the TARDIS walls. Clara opened her mouth, ready to reply with something witty, but she had nothing. She was completely and utterly astounded.

"Special socks?" she muttered to herself. "One of us definitely needs psychiatric help, although I'm still not sure which one." Clara began to get lost in her thoughts. Every day with the Doctor was...crazy. There was a surprise around ever corner, and there was certainly never a dull moment. What appealed to Clara the most was the danger - there were very few days when they were either nearly severely injured or killed. Clara relished every moment. Back when she lived in London, Clara thought her life was pretty good. Looking back on it now, she almost laughed at what she once thought was a 'fulfilling life'. Clara's thoughts were interrupted as a question stirred inside her. It was a question she had been meaning to ask the Doctor for a long time. Every day, she gave herself an excuse as to not ask. But recently, her curiosity had grown uncontrollably. Clara decided that it eould be today that she would pose her query to the Doctor- but what She feared the most wasn't the question. It was the answer.

The Doctor had hinted many times before that Clara wasn't the first person he'd had travelling with him. Clara had found, on numerous occasions, clothes that didn't belong to her in nooks and crannies of the TARDIS. And unless he was planning to be a drag queen, Clara was quite sure the clothes didn't belong to the Doctor either. Sometimes, she would see the Doctor find something meaningless, like an old watch or a dusty jacket. And for a few seconds, he would stare into the distance before snapping back to reality. Clara wasn't jealous of these 'other companions'; it was easily understandable that the Doctor would want to travel with people. But where were they now? It was a fear that had been growing inside Clara for quite some time. What had happened to them? Had they gotten bored and left? 'Unlikely,' thought Clara. With all of time and space to see, how could anyone get bored? There was only one reason that made sense as to why someone would stop travelling with the Doctor. She hoped her hunch was wrong, and she hoped more than anything that she wouldn't get any first hand experience.

Suddenly, Clara's thoughts were interrupted by a loud sound that was almost deafening. The air in front of her shimmered, as if it were water in a lake. She saw shadows appear out of nowhere, and heard a million voices speak at once. The shimmering air swirled into a black, compact ball. White light began to erupt from the ball; it was the brightest light that Clara had ever seen. She staggered backwards, her hands over her eyes. Around her, the light began to fade. Once she was sure it was gone, she opened her eyes. Kneeling on the ground was a man. He was Caucasian, but had skin that was charred so much he was almost completely brown. At first, Clara thought that he could be royalty of some sort - he was lean and tall with a defined face. Then she saw what he was wearing. Clinging onto his body were rags, grey and dirty. The only other thing he had was a single brown satchel - it fell loosely across his chest. He looked up at Clara, and their eyes locked. Clara stared into the man's eyes and gasped. She had never seen such emotion in a person's eyes before. She was suddenly overwhelmed with feelings of pain and suffering. The man jumped up, and took a step backwards. He quickly reached into his satchel and pulled out a large rifle. Clara knew something was wrong - a rifle that big could never have fit in a satchel so small.

The man aimed the gun at Clara's face. She put her hands up by her face.

"Please, don't shoot me! Just tell me what you want."

The man stared at her for a few seconds, as if her was taking her statement into consideration.

"Where is he?" the man bellowed.

"Who? I don't know what you mean." The man fired a few rounds - they barely skimmed Clara's ear.

"Next time, my aim won't be off. Now, let me ask you again. Where is he?"

Clara stood with her eyes wide. Hundreds of question were swimming around in her mind. There was one, however, that stood out from all the rest: 'How do I get this man to stop pointing this gun at my head?'

"Wait. Please. I wan't to help you, I honestly do. Help me understand, then maybe I can help you. Who are you, and more importantly what are you doing here?"

"My name is Thrift. I am here to kill the Doctor."


	2. The Lost Assassin

**AN: A few reviews and favourites are already coming in, so I must be doing something right! Hopefully I haven't included _too_ much in this chapter. Chapter 3 will be coming soon.**

Chapter Two - The Lost Assassin

Clara stared at the man named Thrift for a few seconds, before she realised that she was shaking. "You- You're here to kill the Doctor?" Thrift nodded.

"I don't want to make this harder than it has to be. Unlike the Doctor, I respect the life of innocents. You seem innocent enough and I have no reason to harm you. Show me where he is and I can guarantee your safety."

The fear that had been building up inside Clara turned to confusion. "I- I think you have this all wrong. The Doctor wouldn't harm innocent people." Thrift replied with a deep laugh that had a sliver of malice inside it.

"You are ignorant. You have no idea what he is capable of. I don't have time to waste, so talk quickly. Where is he?"

"Right here."

Clara looked past Thrift's shoulder and saw the Doctor leaning on one of the walls of the console room. He was looking at Thrift with curiosity. Thrift glanced to where the voice had come from. Once his suspicions were confirmed, he spun round on the spot, before raising his rifle. Clara noticed that there were tiny, blue lights that coated the edges of the rifle.

"Not so fast!" exclaimed the Doctor. He whipped his Sonic Screwdriver out of his pocket, and had just enough time to leap out of the way before Thrift fired a shot that would have blown his brains out. The Doctor pointed his screwdriver at the rifle and pressed down the button he had used a thousand times before. An unmistakable 'whirring' sound pierced the air as the lights on Thrift's rifle all went off. He aimed once again at the Doctor and fired, but nothing came out of his gun. He stared down at the gun in confusion, before throwing it onto the floor. Thrift charged straight for the Doctor. As he passed the TARDIS console, Thrift found himself on the floor and in a lot of pain. He could feel blood begin to seep from his nose. He quickly got up and advanced towards the Doctor, before staggering backwards. It was as if there was a wall inbetween the two of them, separating one from the other. Thrift tentatively reached out and made contact with the air in front of him. Despite the air looking normal, Thrift was sure his hand was resting on something very solid.

"High-level photophormic magna shield," said the Doctor, who had resumed leaning on the TARDIS wall. "It would take the strength of a legion to break through that. I installed them a while back - they activate automatically and barricade me when they sense that I'm in danger. And clearly, they seem to think you pose a significant threat to me". The Doctor walked towards Thrift until they were only a few feet apart. He straightened his bowtie. "So then, Thrift. Talk to me. It's not everyday I get a teleporting assassin appear in my console room."

Thrift was staring at the Doctor with an expressionless face. Clara had moved so she could see both of the men's faces; strangely, the Doctor had forgotten about her. Usually, her safety was his first priority. She could see the immense amount of anger on Thrift's face that was masked with a layer of calmness. She watched as he stared into the Doctor's eyes. A few seconds passed before the Doctor broke the silence.

"Well, this doesn't seem to be going anywhere. So let's start from the beginning. Who are you, and exactly why do you want to kill me?"

"You already know my name. I am here to save the universe."

"Save the universe? From what?"

"From you."

The Doctor furrowed his brow. An uneasy feeling has begun to creep over him. "What do you mean?"

Thrift smiled at the Doctor. Clara could tell that it wasn't a friendly smile - Thrift simply knew he had the upper hand. He knew what the Doctor didn't.

"I don't know how far back in your timestream this is, and quite frankly I couldn't care less. All you need to know is that I'm from your future." The words were delivered calmly, as if Thrift was almost whispering.

"My future?"

"Yes," replied Thrift, his voice slightly raised. "Your future."

"I still don't understand. What happens in my future?"

Thrift punched the magmabarrier with such force that the Doctor took a few steps backwards.

"You want to know about your future? Let me tell you. In your future, you're a murdering, ruthless dictator that kills for fun. You've taken control of the entire universe, and you wiped out anyone that stood in your way. You think you're a God. You've made it a crime to call you 'the Doctor' anymore; instead you've chosen a new name. The Lord of Time." Thrift slumped to the floor. He held his face in his hands. The Doctor had gone pale - he was studying the ground beneath him as he tried to process the information he'd just heard.

"There must be some mistake. I'm not a murderer. I would never- I could never rule the Universe. There must be some other explanation."

Thrift lifted his head and looked up at the Doctor.

" I don't care how nice you think you are. I don't give a damn about how many people you've saved. I've seen you kill mothers and their children because they didn't bow when they passed you."

The Doctor was speechless for the first time in his life. A few moments passed before he remembered something important.

"You said you were from my future. What year have you come from?"

"2013."

The Doctor looked past Thrift to Clara. The confusion on her face perfectly mirrored his own.

"Thrift, what year do you think this is?"

Thrift stood up and almost began to growl at the Doctor. "Don't play games with me. It's 1999."


	3. The Man from Another World

**A/N: Hi guys! Thanks for all the reviews - I greatly appreciate them. From now on, I'm going to put the Author's Notes (the bit you're reading now) at the _bottom_ of the page, so bear that in mind for future chapters. In other news, the Series 7 Finale airs this weekend! As excited as I am, I'm almost definitely sure that any juicy details that are revealed in the finale will clash with my ideas for this story. For that reason, I'm going to declare this AU for the time being. **

_**EDIT: This story can be canon - I've set the story between 'A Nightmare in Silver' and 'The Name of the Doctor'. Everything that happens can be canon if you want it to...you'll see what I mean! Of course, if you find it to be too ridiculous then feel free to think of it as AU.**_

**Also, if anyone spots any proofing errors please let me know. I do try hard to proof-read but things do occasionally slip past me! **

**Please keep up with the reviews and follows, they brighten up my day. And get ready for the next chapter. Kids, this is where it gets complicated...**

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Chapter Three - The Man from Another World

The Doctor stared at Thrift, his mind racing. "Thrift, this isn't 1999. This is 2013. You can't be from my future - it's 2013 _now_."

"Liar. You're trying to decieve me."

"Look behind, you Thrift. At the scanner."

Thrift turned around and looked at the scanner that was connected to the console behind him. He read the words out loud.

"Planet - Teraphor. Date - July 7th...2013."

Thrift turned back to face the Doctor. His eyes narrowed as he realised that there was no trickery - it really was 2013. Clara, who had been watching the scene unfold, suddenly realised something.

"Doctor? I thought the scanner was broken?"

The Doctor gave her a look of genuine surprise. "An assassin from the future comes to kill me and you're worried about the scanner?"

Clara looked down at her feet, feeling rather embarrased. She suddenly became alert when she realised that Thrift was charging towards her. He grabbed her by her dress and forced himself behind her. He clamped both of his hands around her head. The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the air in front of him. A 'whirr' once again pierced the air and the Doctor ran forward.

"Let her go!" exclaimed the Doctor. "If you want to kill me, fine. But she's innocent. Please, let her go."

"Explain to me, Doctor. Tell me what's going on or I'll break her neck."

Clara made a high pitched moaning sound as if to reinforce the threat. The Doctor put his hands through his hair. "Me? Explain to you? How should I know? You came here to kill me! Wait...wait. You believe you came from the future, correct?"

Thrift nodded in agreement. The Doctor turned away from Thrift and began explaining the situation out loud to himself, as of forgetting the position that Clara was in.

"You think you came from the future, but you didn't. And from your point of view, I'm some evil dictator. So, you've travelled from another part of space where I'm evil? No, of course not. I'm pretty sure there's only one of me in the universe. Which means..." The Doctor's eyes widened. He spun around on the spot, arms waving frantically in the air.

"Parallel universe! You're from a parallel universe."

Thrift slightly loosened his grip on Clara. The Doctor very briefly made eye contact with her, which reassured her that he hadn't simply forgotten about her.

"A parallel universe?" questioned Thrift. "But I thought all parallel universes were sealed off."

The Doctor's face went slightly pale. "Yes, generally speaking they are. But there have been a few times when...people have 'slipped through'. But there's no doubt about it, you're from another universe. Which is very bad?"

Clara decided to join in with the odd confrontation, in the hope that Thrift might let her go. "Bad? Why is it bad?"

The Doctor looked at her in a puzzled way, as if silently asking why she had chosen now of all times to start talking.

"Because if Thrift has come from a parallel universe, it means there is a link. Somewhere, there is a bond between his universe and ours. Maybe it's a portal, or a spaceship, or even a crack... "

The Doctor trailed off and stared into the distance. A few seconds passed before he snapped back into reality. "Anyway, whatever it is, it isn't man made. Nobody 'accidentally' manages to travel between dimensions. Someone has mastered universe jumping. That's certainly not someone I'd like to go up against."

Thrift released Clara. She clumsily fell on the floor before getting up and hugging the Doctor. He held her in a tight embrace before pushing her back so she was just by his face.

"Are you okay?"

She smiled at him. "Fine."

Thrift cleared his throat. The Doctor and Clara both went slightly red as they separated.

"If you two are finished, maybe you can tell me how exactly this has happened. If someone else has found a way of 'universe hopping', why was I brought here?"

The Doctor took a step towards Thrift. "Um, just so we're both clear, I'm taking it you no longer have plans to kill me?"

"If what you're saying is true, then I suppose killing you is completely pointless."

"Good," said the Doctor, stepping further towards Thrift so they were only a few inches apart. "So let me make one thing clear. Have a bone to pick with me? Let me know. I've been alive far too long to feel intimidated. But don't ever involve my friends. Mess with them, and you mess with me. And if my parallel self is anything to go by, I'm pretty sure you know what happens when you mess with me."

Thrift took a small step back. Clara saw a flash of fear in his eyes. She had never seen the Doctor behave so...coldly. The Doctor was staring straight at Thrift, daring him to break eye contact. After a few seconds of silence, Thrift spoke.

"I cannot blame you for the atrocities that the Doctor in my universe has committed. So long as you and your friend don't try and harm me, I'll make no attempts to harm you. You have my word."

Clara was relived as a smile finally appeared on the Time Lord's face. "Wonderful!" he exclaimed. "Now to sort you out. Whatever it was that was supposed to send you back in time must have malfunctioned. Somebody near to you was experimenting with travelling dimensions. Imagine a tunnel from your universe to ours. You're time travelling equipment malfunctioned and you end up 'sucked' into the tunnel. Were you supposed to land in the TARDIS?"

Thrift nodded curtly.

"That explains why you ended up here. You reached your location, just in a different universe rather than a different time period." The Doctor's eyes began to search Thrift. He stared at his toned muscles and the scorched tags that hung from him.

"What did you use to travel through time?"

Thrift pulled up the rag that was covering his chest. There was a tiny device that was stuck to his chest plate by suction cups. The Doctor yanked it off his chest and examined it. He turned it around in his hands. It looked similar to a shard of crystal, except there were machines inside it. Tiny lights and contraptions flashing wildly inside the core. The Doctor drew a sharp breath.

"We need to trace it back."

Both Thrift and Clara stared at the Doctor blankly.

"What?"

"We need to trace the signal back. This is a crude copy of TARDIS technology. Which means you have access to a TARDIS mainframe. Now, I could just stand here and ask you questions for the next fifteen minutes, but quite frankly that's boring. Plus, there's so many unanswered questions. And I'm pretty sure the answers lie wherever you came from."

The Doctor held up the device that he had taken off Thrift's chest.

"We can use this. There's a link between your universe and ours, so we can just follow the link back. The TARDIS will do the work for us - all I need to do is give her this."

The Doctor put the device in a tiny socket on the TARDIS console. The device locked into place and began to flash rapidly. The Doctor ran around to the other side of the console, flicking various switches and levers as he passed them.

"Tracking origin...tracing back signal...setting co-ordinates and...we're ready to go. Hold on tight. Universe-hopping isn't going to be easy. We can do it, but things are going to get bumpy." He gestured towards Thrift and Clara. "You two might want to hold on to something."

Clara immediately grabbed the handrail behind her. She knew how violent the TARDIS could sometimes be when they were flying. Once, she'd nearly broken her collarbone after being thrown around the console room. Thrift continued to stand where he was, ignoring the Doctor's warning.

"Here we go!" shouted the Doctor, his hand resting on a lever. "One...two...three...Geronimo!" The Doctor pulled the lever down. The TARDIS began to shake. The shaking got intenser and intenser, until Thrift could stand no longer. He collapsed onto the floor, and rolled away from the TARDIS console as the whole room shook furiously. Clara began to scream; she was slowly losing her grip on the handrail. She caught sight of the Doctor curled up on the floor, trying to hang on to the console. A few seconds later, the TARDIS lurched and the shaking stopped. The Doctor stood up and looked around.

"We've landed. is everyone okay?"

Thrift groaned from the other side of the room. He got up and staggered towards the console. "I'm fine. That was one hell of a ride."

"I'm okay, too." said Clara, waiting for the room to stop spinning.

The Doctor grabbed Clara's hand and headed for the TARDIS doors. Thrift picked up his rifle, which was lying a few metres away from the console.

"Doctor, wait."

The Doctor spun around to face him. "What is it?"

Thrift walked towards him so that the three of them were standing by the TARDIS doors. He hesitated before speaking. "What you see out there...may shock you."

The Doctor smiled at Thrift, his eyes twinkling. "Trust me, I've seen a lot of horrible things in my time." He squeezed Clara's hand. "Get ready, Clara. You're about to step foot in another universe."

The Doctor opened the TARDIS doors and stepped out, followed by Thrift. Clara gasped in amazement. The landscape around her was dry and ruined. They were high up on some sort of tower. Clara looked around in fascination. There were buildings of all shapes and sizes - most of them were simply ridiculously tall and went far into the deep, red sky. She began to feel slightly light headed. All around her were the most magnificent buildings she had ever seen. The way they sparkled in the light was enough to impress her.

Thrift glanced over to The Doctor. He had gone very still. He was looking around, but there was no amazement in his eyes. There was only disbelief.

"This is impossible."

Clara turned to face the Doctor. "Where are we?"

The Doctor took a step forward, taking in the sights around him. "It's impossible. We can't be here."

Clara began to grow impatient. "Doctor, where are we?"

The Doctor stared at Clara, but words could barely leave his mouth. Thrift began to speak. " I told you it may be a shock, Doctor."

"But, this is...impossible. This is..." he trailed off.

"This is where?" asked Clara angrily. Thrift turned to face her.

"This is Gallifrey."


	4. The Impossible Planet

Chapter Four - The Impossible Planet

When Clara first saw Thrift, she took an instant disliking to him. This dislike got somewhat stronger when he nearly broke her neck. She has stood helpless as the Doctor and Thrift figured out the mess they were in. Helpless. Once again. The Doctor had always been there to save her, and, although she was reluctant to admit it, Clara knew that she depended on him. She would have been killed several times over if it wasn't for him. Clara only wished she could repay him somehow. He had always been strong, but here he was...vulnerable. She had never seen him like this. There was a flash of fear in his eyes as he took in the surroundings. Clara heard the words escape Thrift's lips. "This is Gallifrey." The name was familiar, but she couldn't place it.

"Gallifrey?" She looked at the Doctor, but he remained silent. "What's so important about it? I mean, it's beautiful, but..." She trailed off, unsure of whether or not to probe the Doctor further.

The Doctor continued to stare into the distance as he spoke. "This is Gallifrey. Located in the constellation of Kasterborous. The shining word of the seven systems. This was the home of the Time Lords."

Clara drew a sharp breath of air. It was all coming back to her now. He had only briefly mentioned the planet a few times before. She remembered all the terrible things that she had been told. There was a war that had raged here. A bloody, ruthless battle.

"Doctor? I thought you said there was a war here?"

"There was."

"Then why isn't everything destroyed? It all looks brilliant. I mean...I thought the war would have destroyed all of this."

The Doctor turned to face Thrift. "It should have done."

Thrift looked at him with a puzzled expression. "War? Of course there's been a war. I've been fighting for as long as I can remember."

"You've been fighting? Are you telling me this is the Last Great Time War?"

"Time War? There is only the war between us and the Lord of Time."

The Doctor scanned the landscape, his brow furrowed. "There's something not right. I know where we are, I just don't know when we are. Everything is still here, so this must be before the Time War. "

"But I thought you said you couldn't come back here," said Clara. "I thought you said it was 'time-locked' or something."

"Yes...it is...or it was. But this is a parallel universe. Things are different here. We can't be here, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless the Time War never happened."

Thrift, the Doctor and Clara all stood silent as they took in what the Doctor had just said. It was eventually the Doctor himself who broke the silence.

"Thrift, this 'Lord of Time'. You say he's me?"

"He looks like you. Almost identical. "

The Doctor closed his eyes, trying to take in the information.

"I still don't understand. Not knowing things is dangerous. Very dangerous. Who exactly is The Lord of Time?"

"I'm not sure I'm the right person to tell you that, Doctor. You'll find out for yourself soon enough. Now, we better announce our presence to the rebels before they come out here and kill us."

"Why would they kill us?" asked Clara.

"Firstly, I'm not meant to be here. I never told you, did I?" Thrift reached into his pocket and pulled out the crystal device that was previously on his chest.

"Where did you get that?" said the Doctor.

"I took it from your console. I know I didn't ask, but it is mine."

Thrift held up the device. "This was meant to guarantee me a trip to the past. Something went wrong and according to you two I ended up in a parallel universe. This thing is only powerful enough for one journey through time. It's only because we used your time machine that we're here now."

Clara cleared her throat. "So you were just going to be stranded?"

Thrift shrugged his shoulders. "The rebels are low on supplies. I had to take one for the team. Besides, the good I would have done would outweigh my suffering. The past can't be that bad."

The Doctor scanned Thrift's face. He stared intensely at him before snapping back to his usual self.

"Right then, Thrift. You rebels - I assume you have a base?"

"A base?"

"Oh, come on. All good rebels have a base. If you don't have a base you may as well be hermits."

"We have a headquarters in the Panopticon."

"What's the Panopticon?" asked Clara, once again feeling like the stupid person in the group.

"It's the main council room of the Capitol." said the Doctor. "The Capitol, also known as the Citadel, was the home of the Time Lords. That's where we are now. One hell of a place to set up a base." The Doctor turned to Thrift. "If this 'Lord of Time' is so powerful, how come you're based here? I know him, because I know me, and I know that if I was an omnipotent mastermind who somehow brought back Gallifrey, I'd want to live in style. I'd set myself up here, in the Capitol. So how is it that rebels have managed to bag Gallifrey's finest residence?"

"It's a long story. Just know for now that we're safe here - or at least as safe as we can be. We shoul-"

Thrift was cut off by a loud wail that pierced the air. Clara and the Doctor covered their ears with their hands.

"What is that?" shouted Clara over the loud noise.

"It's the alarm," said Thrift as he sighed. "You two may want to get behind me." Thrift raised his rifle as Clara and the Doctor ran behind him. She noticed that the blue lights had reappeared on the side of his gun. The air in front of them began to shimmer and falter, before a group of people appeared a few metres in front of them. The all held rifles that were similar to Thrift's. They were also all wearing the same rags, apart from a woman at the front of the group who was dressed in proper clothing. She was fully clothed in black, and had blonde hair that was tied back in a ponytail. Like the rest of the group, she too was holding a rifle. She stared at Thrift for a second before her eyes darted to the Doctor. She took a step back and raised her rifle.

"Protocol Delta Hotel Alpha. Kill them all."

The group of rebels raised their guns and fired.

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**AN: Sorry for the long gap between chapters! Please don't hate me :( I've been busy with loads of things but I'm back now, and hopefully I'll be posting chapters a lot more frequently now. **

**For all the people who haven't read my updated AN for the last chapter (which must be most people), I've decided this doesn't have to be an AU story because it takes place in an alternate universe anyway. This means it can be canon but set in an alternate universe (if that makes any sense - I'm sure someone out there will understand!). I'm setting it between 'A Nightmare in Silver' and 'The Name of The Doctor'.**

**Speaking of...what a finale. Steven Moffat does it again. While you wait for the 50th, maybe you can occupy yourself by reading this story.**

**As always, please keep up the reviews, favourites and follows! They keep me going!**

**If you've read this far, you probably have a LOT of unanswered question. Don't worry - you will get your answers. Eventually.**


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